Once a month, dozens of teenagers in suits, blazers, skirts, heels, and ties flood the school library. These teens aren’t attending a job interview, church service, or business function. They’re gathered to participate in Model United Nations, a club that seeks to emulate the international United Nations, which holds meetings for delegates from over 200 member countries to help resolve world issues.
These monthly conferences each focus on a different world issue, with students acting as representatives—delegates—from their chosen country. Over the course of each month, delegates select a country, research its domestic and foreign policy positions, and then advocate for that country’s interests at the conference. Delegates give speeches, write working papers, and present and vote on proposed resolutions at each conference.
Even though members of Model UN have to spend time researching their countries and writing position papers—which sounds a lot like extra schoolwork—they believe the club is worth the effort. Waterford MUN Vice President Arthur Dhervilly says that Model UN “encapsulates the human experience” and that joining the club is “one of the most exciting and productive things you could do at Waterford High School.”
The club votes on a new topic and structure for each month’s conference to keep things interesting. Although WHS Model UN frequently holds traditional conferences on topics that the actual United Nations discusses—human trafficking, drug control, and space debris, for example—they also create crisis committees. These committees discuss historical events rather than current ones, and delegates are assigned a historical figure rather than a country. In past years, Waterford has run crisis committees including the Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists, the Black Plague, and the French Revolution. These committees are fast-paced, with constant updates and timed crises for delegates to resolve.
In addition to the in-school conferences, Waterford delegates attend Yale Model United Nations (YMUN), an annual conference with thousands of delegates from around the world. The busy four day conference includes 20 hours of committee sessions, lectures from Yale professors, a delegate dance, and free time for delegates to tour Yale campus and eat out with friends. One Waterford delegate said they enjoyed “the freedom,…food, [and] debate.” Many students on the trip enjoy the opportunity to meet other high schoolers interested in debate, geopolitics, and diplomacy. President Hazel Siu also said that through the Yale trip, she has gained new international friends.
As the culminating MUN experience of the year, Yale MUN is a whirlwind weekend where Waterford delegates shine. Despite the greater experience and time many private school delegates have, Waterford delegates have won five YMUN awards in the past three years.
Third-year club member Lucy Mullen would recommend Model UN to anyone who is seeking to develop leadership skills; is interested in international relations, politics, and public speaking; or is creative and likes to solve problems and puzzles. Sophomore Mohisha Prasad recommends MUN to people who like arguing or politics.
Waterford’s Model United Nations club might not be for everyone, but it is certainly beloved by its members. They enjoy honing their speaking skills, learning about current affairs, and making friends at school and across the globe through Model UN conferences.